June Primary taking shape

January 31, 2012

Inyo County voters will be selecting new county supervisors and others in June. File photo

Voters in Inyo County and the state and nation should begin bracing themselves for another election year. The June 5 Primary Election will have Inyo voters choosing for three county supervisorial seats as well as Inyo County Board of Education Areas 2 and 4 and several county central committee spots.
Declaration of Candidacy papers, which officially places a person as a candidate on the ballot, are due between Feb. 14 and March 9, and several candidates have already filed Petitions for Signatures in Lieu of Filing Fee.
The Fifth Supervisorial District seat, which covers a massive geographic area in Southern Inyo County, has the incumbent and two others vying for the position. Incumbent Richard Cervantes, Lone Pine school board member Matt Kingsley and soon-to-be-retired Los Angeles Department of Water and Power employee Jim Gentry have all filed petitions but not yet the declarations.
Incumbent Marty Fortney, and challengers Nina Weisman and Christopher Dangwillow are looking into racing for the Fourth District seat that includes most of the central portion of the county.
And, the race for the Second Supervisorial District which includes the Bishop city limits, is taking shape with incumbent Susan Cash, local business owner Russ Aldridge and current Bishop City Council member Jeff Griffiths having filed papers for that seat.
This year, there are several new general voting laws and changes for California and Inyo voters. The Bishop City Council has approved the consolidation of its General Municipal Elections held in March of odd years with Inyo County General Elections held in November of even years.
In the state, Proposition 14 approved by voters in 2010, introduces the âTop Two Candidates Open Primary.â Prior to 2012, only voters registered with a political affiliation could vote in that partyâs primary. Now, the voting is open to all despite registered political affiliation. Voters can also vote for any candidate they choose. And, the two candidates with the most votes, despite party affiliation, will move ahead as the stateâs candidates in the General Election.
And, California voters can choose to go green this year with their election paraphernalia by signing up to go paperless. Voters may receive their Sample Ballot online instead of receiving a paper version in the mail.
âIf all voters in a household except one sign up for an online Sample Ballot, we will be authorized to send a single paper Sample Ballot to your home. This simple act of sharing will save tax dollars and trees!â the Inyo County Electionâs Office said in a press release.
Information about how to sign up for the new electronic Sample Ballot has been sent to voters, for more information call the Electionâs Office for more details.
The office can be reached by mail at Inyo County Clerk-Recorder PO Drawer F Independence, CA 93526, or in person 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday in the Independence Court House, by e-mail at kfoote@inyocounty.us, or on its website at www.inyocounty.us/Recorder.